Perfect World VR (32) - Achievement points

It took a little over two hours, mainly because they were exhausted after the clash with the Northern Crawler. It had taken a whole lot out of them and they had to recover before attempting anything else.

In the end, it was a breeze through, mainly because the head, the kingpin that stood against them had been cut down. Everything else that had to be done was completed in record time.

At that moment, the notification they craved the most, came. [Ding… Congratulations cadets, you have successfully come to the end of the Command and Conquer segment. Please standby as your results and rewards for a successful clear, are compiled.]

They were ecstatic, to say the least. Their efforts had paid off. It was a stressful struggle but in the end, it was worth it.

[Rewards will be given based on each cadet's participation in the segment. This means that those that played more significant roles than others would receive better rewards. The compiled participation list will now be shown.]

This time, instead of each cadet getting a personal notification, a large screen appeared before them, and on it, the names of all members of Red Wing Thunder Squadron.

Beside their name were numbers that signified their level of participation and significant actions in the successful run of the Command and Conquer segment.

At the top of the list, there was no shock there, Elena Blake was typed in bold letters and a golden light was added to make it better. Her point total was placed at a Hundred points.

Elena at that point did not think much of the rankings. What mattered more was the fact that she had done well as a Herald and her teammates were appreciative of that.

Of course, there were some mishaps here and there but all in all, she was happy with the results.

The second name on the list was of no surprise. Indra Kusagaki, he had the second-highest kill count after Elena. What's more, during their battle against the Eastern Crawler, he had assumed full responsibility for their unit and it paid off beautifully.

His name was emblazoned in a silver color and his points were at Ninety one percent.

The third name on the list however brought with it mixed feelings. Most were agreeable but others were either shocked or downright upset about it.

Nathaniel Holt, emblazoned in a bronze hue and a point total of Ninety percent, sat comfortably in third place. Nathan was shocked by this. He was in third place and what's more, Indra had only passed him by a single point.

He could not explain what he felt but he was sure of one thing. It felt good. He glanced over to find Elena looking at him. She flashed a sweet smile and a nod as if to say, 'You deserve it'

The list went on with all twenty members accounted for. There were a few surprises after Nathan's rank with Leah seated comfortably in sixth place.

She had singlehandedly turned the situation of the battle against the Northern Crawler. It was befitting of such a feat. Her reaction was expected as her cheeks burned red in embarrassment as she sort to hide.

[The points you have racked up in this segment will be translated as achievement points in the academy. Your achievement points are what would be used when assigning ranks after you have graduated. You are implored to work for a good point range if you wish to be treated respectfully in the army.]

There were several avenues to gain achievement points. But as a cadet, the best way was through performing well during the academy tests.

The achievement points would be used to determine one's rank once he or she graduated.

Cultivation resources, equipment, finances, and prestige. The amount that one received was determined by their rank.

Each Guardian was assigned a rank and that rank would decide what level of resources one was entitled to. The ranks were from One star to Seven star.

Newly graduated cadets were entitled to a ranking of One star and the benefits that came with it, which wasn't that much if one was being honest.

If the cadet in question performed exceedingly well and gained enough achievement points, it was not difficult to achieve a ranking of Three-star. Of course, that was the highest rank achievable for a graduate.

So far very few had achieved such, the last being a Guardian dubbed as, Ocean Emperor.

Going forward, Achievement points would then be gotten by performing missions on the surface. It wasn't exactly easy since there were not exactly keen on throwing lives away due to how dangerous the surface was.

Nathan had a good start already, going forward, he would aspire to achieve more. That was given if he wanted to be in a position where he could change the course of history.

[Your rewards will be distributed once you log out. Once again, Congratulations cadets, and good luck on your next test.]

After the last words were read, the blue screen disappeared and their surroundings began to pixelate, signaling the end of the game. A moment later and the world went dark.

***

He opened his eyes to find himself back in the VR capsule. He heaved a sigh of relief as he lifted the lid off the capsule. He stepped out to find that the others were already exiting their capsules as well.

"Nice one, Holt. You did well." Gary remarked as he walked over. "Haha, it was nothing." He chuckled as he welcomed the hug from the large teen. "Hmmph." At the side, he heard a disgruntled harrumph.

He could immediately tell the source. Jeremy. He was ranked tenth, below the two members that he had constantly out down. It would be surprising if he wasn't upset.

"Glad to know that my sacrifice wasn't in vain." Gary broke up the hug and Nathan looked over to find Reyes standing a couple of meters away with Celeste beside him.

He walked over and hugged him. "Did it hurt?" "Huh." Reyes frowned. A smirk formed at the corner of Nathan's lips. "Getting disintegrated. Did it hurt?"

"You…" He fought the urge to crush him in the embrace. They broke off, both laughing. "But honestly though, you did good in there." "You were watching?"

"Yep. Watched the whole thing. Couldn't leave while my team was still in there fighting for our success." For a moment, Reyes seemed truly noble.

"Lies. Captain Rodgers didn't let us leave even after we begged him so we had no choice but to watch." Unfortunately, Celeste burst his bubble before he had a chance to capitalize on it.

He glanced over. "They didn't have to know that." "And yet I told them… Bummer." She shrugged in response.

"Hah." "Reyes." Elena was the newest entry to their gathering. "Oh hey. I guess I should be congratulating you on getting first place." He joked. "I could care less about that. I came over to apologize. My plan ended up with you guys dead... In-game."

"Don't sweat it. It happens, can't always expect to get a perfect score." "Hah, I guess you are right. What about Ruben?... I don't see him anywhere."

"He had to be carried away in a stretcher. The injuries he suffered in the game had some effects so they rushed over to the sickbay to undergo a check-up."

"… I see. Hopefully, he is okay." Reyes waved it away. "Don't get so worried. Ruben will be fine. He is a strong guy."

Gary then suggested. "How about we go see him?... He might be fine but it would be nice if we checked on him." "That's a good idea. Let me get the others."

As Elena stepped away, Leah crept up from behind, tugging at Nathan's arm subtly. He turned over. "What's up?"

"…Uhmm, I was wondering. You don't have to if you don't want to but uhmm like I wanted to ask if you would be interested in getting a drink with me or something… It doesn't have to be a drink though, if you are hungry, we could grab something to eat."

Nathan cracked up in response leaving Leah speechless. "…Did I say something funny?" His reaction had made her a bit self-conscious. "Nothing like that. I would love to grab a drink with you. We could head out now if that's okay with you."

Leah was just about to respond when Reyes chipped in. "Ouu, that's a nice idea. How about we tag along. Celeste and I are willing to join you guys. Ain't that right." He whipped his head over. "Are you asking me?" Celeste was caught absent-minded.

"Who else is named Celeste?" "Oh yeah sure, that would be nice."